WEBI

NARSUMMARYREPORT:

FROM RAGI
NGCONFLI
CTTORELATI
VEPEACE

SPEAKER:MRJOSEPHLENGMANG,
DIRECTORGENERAL
PLATEAUPEACEBUI
LDI
NGAGENCY

MODERATORS:TONGRI
ANGBAKLEANDFRI
DAYBAKO

DATE:3RDDECEMBER2020
Publ
ishi
ngdat
e:

6t
hDecember2020

Publ
ishedby
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I
NTRODUCTI
ON

Pl
ateaust
atei
scur
rent
lyt
hemai
nsi
teofet
hni
candr
eli
giousv
iol
encei
n
Nor
ther
nNi
ger
ia.Thepastt
wodecadeshasseenr
ecur
rentcr
isesacr
osst
he
st
atei
nur
banandr
uralar
eas.Thousandsofl
i
veshav
ebeenl
osti
nthose
v
iol
entconf
li
cts,t
her
ehasbeen ext
ensi
vedamaget
o pr
oper
ty,and t
he
dev
elopmentpr
ospect
soft
hest
atehav
ebeensetback.Thev
iol
encehas
mai
nlybeenbet
weent
heChr
ist
iansandMusl
i
ms,butet
hni
cit
yal
sohasa
cent
ralr
olei
ntheconf
li
ctsandt
her
eisconsi
der
abl
epol
i
ticali
nter
est
.Jos,
t
hest
atecapi
talandamaj
ornor
ther
nci
tywi
thapopul
ati
onofsomeone
mi
l
li
oni
nhabi
tant
s,i
stheepi
cent
erofmuchoft
hei
nsecur
it
yinPl
ateaust
ate
andhasbeent
hesi
teofsomeoft
hewor
stoft
hev
iol
ence.Epi
sodesofmass
ki
l
li
ngsanddest
ruct
ionhav
eoccur
redi
nJosi
n2001,
2002,
2004,
2008,
2010,
2012and2013.Thev
iol
encehasaf
fect
edot
herpar
tsoft
hehi
ghPl
ateau,i
n
r
uralar
easout
sideofJos.Thi
svi
olencehast
akenamassi
vet
ollont
hest
ate
soci
oeconomi
cresour
ces.

Onassumi
ngof
fi
cei
n2015,
Gov
ernorSi
monLal
ongsoughtadepar
tur
efr
om
t
heconv
ent
ionalmet
hodofADHOC secur
it
yar
rangement
sandset
ti
ngup
commi
ssi
onsofi
nqui
ry.Hei
nher
it
edanearchaot
icsecur
it
yar
rangementand
het
her
efor
efel
tthati
twi
l
lbebet
tert
osetupapr
oact
iveappr
oachr
ather
t
hanar
eact
iveone.I
twasont
hisbasi
sthathesetupt
hePl
ateauPeace
Bui
l
dingAgency
.Theagencywassetupwi
tht
hef
oll
owi
ngmandat
e:

 Pr
omot
ethecul
tur
eofpeaceandhar
moni
ouscoexi
stenceamongt
he
di
ver
seet
hnor
eli
giousgr
oupsi
nourst
ate.
  Ensur
ecoor
dinat
ionofconf
li
ctpr
event
ionandpeacebui
l
dingef
for
tsby
bot
hst
ateandnon-
stat
eact
orsal
i
ke.

 Faci
l
itat
econf
li
ctmedi
ati
ont
hroughmul
ti
tr
ackdi
plomacyandot
her
f
ormsofconf
li
ctset
tl
ement
s.

 Engagewi
thpostconf
li
ctset
tl
ement
sandr
ehabi
l
itat
ionpr
ocesses.

 Resol
ve conf
li
cts,pr
eventnew ones f
rom happeni
ng and br
oadl
y
speaki
ng cont
ri
but
etot
he pr
omot
ion ofst
abl
e,saf
erand secur
e
Pl
ateau.

Theappr
oachbyt
hegov
ernmenthasl
edt
oagener
aldecl
i
nei
nthe
spar
eoft
hev
iol
enceandi
nthi
swebi
nar
,MrJosephLengman,t
he
di
rect
orgener
aloft
heagencyexpl
ainedt
her
olet
heagencyhaspl
ayed
i
nensur
ingt
hatPl
ateaust
atemov
edf
rom r
agi
ngconf
li
ctt
orel
ati
ve
peace.Heal
sodi
scussedt
hechal
l
engesst
il
lfacedbyt
heagencyand
t
hewayt
heagencycanber
est
ruct
uredt
ofunct
ionmor
eef
fect
ivel
y

KEYTAKEAWAYS

1)Al
thoughr
elat
ivepeacenow dotourl
andscapecompar
edt
othel
ast
decade,communi
ti
es,f
ami
l
ies and i
ndi
vi
dual
s acr
oss t
he st
ate ar
e st
il
l
r
eel
i
ngf
rom t
hedev
ast
ati
ngef
fectoft
hosehor
ri
fi
cyear
s.Thesel
egaci
esar
e
as f
resh as t
heyar
e st
ark and t
heyi
ncl
ude l
oss ofl
i
vel
i
hood,t
rauma,
i
nter
nal
l
ydi
spl
acedper
sons,upr
oot
edcommuni
ti
es,deepl
yent
renchedl
evel
ofmut
ualt
rust
,suspi
cion,r
esent
mentandconst
ernat
ionofanov
erst
ayi
ng
power
2)Ther
ehasal
sobeenemer
gingconf
li
ctt
rendswhi
chi
ncl
udeFar
mer
-har
der
cr
isi
s, i
nter
communal t
ensi
ons, gangst
ers/
cul
ti
sm, dr
ug peddl
i
ng,
consumpt
ionandv
iol
ence,ex
ist
ingt
ensi
onsanddi
senchant
mentandf
inal
l
y
t
henef
ari
ousact
ivi
ti
esofpeacespoi
l
ers.

3)The PPBA oper

ates on t
he pr
inci
ples ofNon-
par
ti
sanshi
p,neut
ral
i
ty,
i
mpar
ti
ali
tyandbuy
-i
nofal
lconf
li
ctpar
ti
es.

4)ThePPBApat
hway
stopeacear
ethr
oughsy
stemat
icdi
alogue,capaci
ty
bui
l
ding,
trai
ningsanddet
ect
ionandr
esponset
oear
lywar
nings.

5)Si
ncei
tsi
ncept
ion,
thePPBAhasachi
evedagener
aldecl
i
nei
nthespat
eof
v
iol
entat
tacksasar
esul
toft
hef
oll
owi
ng:

 Successf
ul i
mpl
ement
ati
on of t
he pr
oject on sust
ainabl
e
t
ransf
ormat
ionoft
heFar
mer
-har
derconf
li
ctsuppor
ted byt
heUS
embassy-hel
pedsi
gni
fi
cant
lyi
ndousi
ngt
ensi
onbet
weenf
armer
s
andher
der
s.

 Dev
elopmentand l
aunchi
ng ofPPBA'
s5-
yearst
rat
egi
cpl
an.Thi
s
i
dent
if
ieddi
ff
erentpat
hway
stosy
stemat
ical
l
yengagewi
thi
ssuesof
peace,
conf
li
ctandsecur
it
yinPl
ateaust
ate.

 Medi
ati
onofsev
eralpot
ent
ial
l
ydanger
ousconf
li
ctsi
tuat
ionsi
nthe
st
ate.

 The peace ar
chi
tect
ure di
alogue t
hat br
ings wi
de r
ange of
st
akehol
der
stoget
heronmont
hlybasi
stodi
scusst
heconf
li
ctt
rends
i
nthest
ate.
  Ser
iesofadv
ocacyv
isi
twi
tht
hemessageofpeacet
otr
adi
ti
onaland
r
eli
giousi
nst
it
uti
ons.

 Mor
ethan10r
adi
oandTVpr
ogr
amst
opr
omot
ethecul
tur
eofpeace
andhar
moni
ouscoexi
stence

 Adv
ocat
edf
ort
headopt
ionoft
hecommuni
typol
i
cingf
ramewor
kin
Pl
ateaust
ate.

 Pr
ovi
ded t
rai
ning on di
ff
erent st
rat
egi
c ar
eas of conf
li
ct
t
ransf
ormat
ion,
reconci
l
iat
ionandheal
i
ngf
orst
akehol
der
s

6)Butdespi
tet
hegi
antst
ri
desmadebyt
heagency
,itst
il
lfacesv
ari
ous
chal
l
engesi
nthef
oll
owi
ngar
eas:

 Fundi
ngconst
rai
ntst
oimpl
ementPPBAst
rat
egi
cpl
an.

 Weakcoor
dinat
ionofef
for
tsonconf
li
ctpr
event
ionandpeacebui
l
ding
i
nthest
ate(
alsoowi
ngt
ofundi
ngconst
rai
nts)
.

 Lack of conf
li
ct sensi
ti
vi
tyf
ormul
ati
on and i
mpl
ement
ati
on of
gov
ernmentpol
i
ciesatal
ll
evel
s.

 Agener
alat
mospher
eofdespai
randgr
owi
ngl
ackofconf
idencei
n
r
elev
antaut
hor
it
ies(
bot
hst
ateandnon-
stopi
nst
it
uti
ons)

 St
il
laf
ledgi
ngi
nst
it
uti
onbesetbysev
eral
teet
hingpr
obl
ems.

 Theabsenceofani
ncl
usi
veandi
ntegr
atedl
ocalpeacest
ruct
ures
gi
vent
hev
aluesuchpl
atf
ormscoul
d br
ingt
o successf
ulconf
li
ct
pr
event
ionandpeacebui
l
dingef
for
ts.
CONCLUSI
ON

I
nthepastf
ew y
ear
s,l
essonshav
ebeenl
ear
ntand modestsuccesses
r
ecor
dedasar
esul
toft
heaf
orement
ionedi
nter
vent
ions.Butagai
n,t
hisi
s
nott
osayt
hatt
hepot
ent
ialofar
etur
ntov
iol
encehasbeencompl
etel
y
r
emov
ed.Whatwehav
enow i
sanoppor
tuni
tyt
oaddr
esst
heunder
lyi
ng
causesoft
heconf
li
ctt
hroughst
ruct
uralandpol
i
cychanges.Thi
scanbe
achi
evedt
hrought
hef
oll
owi
ngmeans:

 Ful
li
mpl
ement
ati
onoft
hePl
ateaust
ater
oadmapt
opeace.

 Tr
ustandconf
idencebui
l
dingact
ivi
ti
est
hroughcommuni
tyout
reach,
spor
tsandar
ts,anddi
rectsuppor
tforcommuni
tybasedor
gani
zat
ions
wor
king on i
ssues of r
eint
egr
ati
on, t
oler
ance and har
moni
ous
coexi
stence.

 Soci
al cohesi
on t
hrough heal
i
ng,f
orgi
veness and r
econci
l
iat
ion
act
ivi
ti
es.

 Adv
ocacy and conf
li
ctsensi
ti
vi
tyt
rai
ning f
orbot
h execut
ives and
l
egi
slat
uresi
nPl
ateaust
ate.

 Suppor
tfort
hepeacear
chi
tect
uref
orum att
hest
ateandzonal
lev
els